Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Men of Average Nature (2025) [Hi-Res]

The Luxembourg-based jazz quartet Jambal and the Luxembourgish/Brazilian rapper Kenai Shogun (formerly Culture the Kid) have collaborated on the album Men of Average Nature. The eight tracks condense years of jamming by the long-term friends, who reunited in Luxembourg after being scattered across Europe. The opening track suggests a similarity to Roy Hargrove's RH Factor. Overall, the music blends a wide range of genres, including "grunge rock rap jazz" on the track "Fair & Well," likened to a fusion of Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Modern Jazz Quartet. The album also features calmer, more controlled sounds, mixing "jazz improvisation with sharp penmanship" on tracks like "Thalassophobia," which were recorded at Charles Stoltz’s studios. More straight-ahead jazz pieces like "Glon Cherry" and "Haunt Me, Curse Me" include guest musicians. The group builds on the success of UK jazz acts (Ezra Collective) by incorporating their own brand of out-there hip-hop, jazz, and Brazilian rap, which is particularly evident in the tracks "Marinheiro" and "Start Like This."

Tracklist:
1-1 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Start like This [6:22]
1-2 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Thalassophobia [5:49]
1-3 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - typebeat [2:01]
1-4 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Fair & Well [5:04]
1-5 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - moan [2:12]
1-6 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Haunt me, Curse me [7:00]
1-7 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Glon Cherry [4:24]
1-8 Jambal, Kenai Shogun - Marinheiro [3:30]